1995 Deep Dive: Top 25 Songs

      Since I had 80 songs on my preliminary list, I had to narrow it down by setting a limit of one song per band. So, technically this isn't really my Top 25, but it's an amazing collection of songs. I would like to shout out some songs that weren't on albums from my Top 25 and that missed this list: "Stars" by Hum, "Geek Stink Breath" and "Brain Stew" by Green Day, "Waydown" by Catherine Wheel, "Hey Man Nice Shot" by Filter, "Boy Racer" by Morrissey, and "Black Steel" by Tricky. Sorry in advance for already revealing my Top 3 during the week. Peace.

25. CONNECTION - ELASTICA

     I love this song and its homage to Wire's "Three Girl Rhumba". I was also surprised how good this whole album is. It almost made the list.

24. LAUGH TRACK - CHAVEZ

     This was a great rediscovery. Love the combination of lo-fi and walls of guitar. 

23. WAKE UP BOO! - THE BOO RADLEYS

     If you like the idea of George Michael doing Northern Soul this track is for you. Super fun.

22. MY FRIENDS - RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS

     I slept on this album when it was released, mostly because I'm not a Dave Navarro fan. However, this song is stunning and Navarro's playing is great. 

21. JEALOUSY - NATALIE MERCHANT

     This song is exquisite. Natalie Merchant is the Carole King of the 90's.

20. ZERO - THE SMASHING PUMPKINS

     "Save your prayers for when you're really gonna need 'em". 

19. SICK OF MYSELF - MATTHEW SWEET

     Textbook definition of power pop.

18. LUMP - PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

     "She totally confused all the passing piranhas". 

17. TOM COURTNEY - YO LA TENGO

     I'm not a huge fan of the band, but this song is fun. It makes multiple references to the Beatles' movie HELP! 

16. WHEN YOU DISCOVER - BUFFALO TOM

     The lyrics are delightfully vicious.

15. KENNEL DISTRICT - PAVEMENT

     The textbook definition of Slacker Rock. The intro is quite Guided by Voices-esque.

14. BURGER CHRIST - DEAD HOT WORKSHOP

     This was the biggest challenge for sticking to one song per band. I also love "River Otis". However, the lyrics are tremendous on this track. "And on the screen of my TV something's telling me, don't ever come clean". 

13. HARNESSED IN SLUMS - ARCHERS OF LOAF

     "You let me down for the second time straight".

12. SPLAT - BAILTER SPACE

     Love these guys. Probably my second favorite Flying Nun band. 

11. RAINMAKER - SPARKLEHORSE

     The most conventional 90's rocker on this album. 

10. NAME - GOO GOO DOLLS

     "Grew up way too fast. Now there's nothing to believe and reruns all become our history. A tired song keeps playing on a tired radio and I won't tell no one your name".

9. ROUTE - SON VOLT

     "Standing in the neutral zone livin' on sleep deprivation".

8. CHAMPAGNE SUPERNOVA - OASIS

     "Slowly walking down the hall, faster than a cannonball".

7. OH, GEORGE - FOO FIGHTERS

     The chord progressions are sublime. So is the George Harrison style guitar solo.

6. BOX FULL OF LETTERS - WILCO

     "I wish I had a lot of answers, cuz that's the way it should be. For all these questions bein' directed at me".

5. ABANDONED HOSPITAL SHIP - THE FLAMING LIPS

     Come for the fragile beauty, stay for Ronald Jones' guitar pyrotechnics.

4. GAME OF PRICKS - GUIDED BY VOICES

     "I never asked for the truth, but you owe that to me". This was my gateway to obsession.

3. THE BENDS - RADIOHEAD

     I'm committed to learning this song on guitar. "Where do we go from here? The words are coming out all weird. Where are you now when I need you?"

2. UNDERGROUND - BEN FOLDS FIVE

     I may be insane, but this might be the "21st Century Schizoid Man" of the 90's. Musical genius. "Well there's got to be something else. Let me tell you something else". 

1. SPARKY'S DREAM - TEENAGE FANCLUB

     I've said it before and I'll say it again. This is my favorite song of all time.

1995 Deep Dive: Part Five

      On one hand, my 1995 Top 5 is an anti-climax. My 1995 Mt.Rushmore remains unchanged and number 5 is probably obvious at this point. On the other hand, the Top 4 albums in this dive are Top 20 all time. As I mentioned before, they are 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d. So, once more for the record...

5. Oasis - ( What's the Story ) Morning Glory? ( 5 Stars )

     Oasis are a polarizing band. Their recent Rock Hall nominations and upcoming reunion tour have only served to exacerbate the divide. But it takes an entrenched hater to deny Morning Glory is a near perfect album. Every track is a stadium sing-along. I don't need to list them all. How does a band follow-up one of the most successful debut albums ever, with songs like "Supersonic" and "Live Forever"? They write "Champagne Supernova", "Wonderwall", and "Don't Look Back in Anger". No sophomore slump for the Fighting Gallaghers. There's also no denying Noel Gallagher is a gifted songwriter. If you don't believe me, check out his High Flying Birds albums. 

4. Teenage Fanclub - Grand Prix ( 5 Stars )

     My all time favorite song is "Sparky's Dream". It is power pop perfection. Not far behind are tracks like, "About You", "Discolite", and "Don't Look Back". Teenage Fanclub had three singer-songwriters. I tend to like the Gerard Love songs best. Unfortunately, he's no longer in the band. They had a tremendous run of albums from Bandwagonesque in 1991, to Songs of Northern Britain in 1997, but for me, Grand Prix is  nearly flawless. 

3. Son Volt - Trace ( 5 Stars )

     What haven't I already said about Trace? I named one of my dogs after it, Jay Farrar is one of my favorite singers, it's my favorite alt-country record, etc. Any other year it's probably Number One. 

2. Sparklehorse - Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot ( 5 Stars )

     Eerily, I'm writing this on March 6th, which is the 15th anniversary of Mark Linkous committing suicide. I didn't realize until I saw a Facebook post about it in my feed. No album in my collection moves me more than Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, with its fragile beauty and makeshift soundscapes. Only a tormented soul could have penned this collection of Southern Gothic tales that are more like literature than songs. This is Mark Linkous at his most raw and vulnerable. I get goosebumps every listen. 

1. Radiohead - The Bends ( 5 Stars )

     The greatest guitar album of all time. One could argue it's the last great guitar album. I had to amend my Mt. Rushmore of guitarists to Alex Lifeson, Tony Iommi, Pete Townshend, and Johnny Greenwood. The difficulty of this post is I've already written quite a bit about these records because I cherish them. The Bends is a masterpiece. The title track is my third favorite song of 1995. Speaking of which, I will publish a Top 25 Songs list, but probably not until Sunday. I haven't had time to cut down my list of 80 songs yet. I decided it would be a lazy, dick move to just post a list of 80 songs. Wish me luck. You already know the Top 3. Peace.

     

1995 Deep Dive: Part Four

     I love this Top Ten. Let's get right to albums 6-10. 

10. Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five ( 4.5 Stars )

     Ben Folds is in my Top 5 pianists, and I consider Ben Folds Five the Bill Evans Trio of rock. If you're not familiar, the band's name is ironic as there are only three members; Ben Folds, Robert Sledge on bass, and Darren Jessee on drums. Their genius level songwriting is fully formed on this debut. "Underground" is a masterpiece and my second favorite song of 1995. I will put a video at the end of this post. It's too hard to explain its brilliance. The musicianship is insane. Sledge does things with the bass that I didn't know were possible. Folds clever lyrics, musical references, and singular playing style are jaw dropping. Other highlights include "Jackson Cannery", "Philosophy", "Sports & Wine", and "Best Imitation of Myself". And the closer, "Boxing", is epic. 

9. Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters ( 4.5 Stars )

     Despite everything that's happened over the past 30 years, the Foo Fighters debut (essentially a Dave Grohl solo album) is fantastic. Grohl emerged from the ashes of Nirvana with an album that has, possibly, the greatest 1-2-3 punch on a debut album; "This Is a Call", "I'll Stick Around", and "Big Me". Throw in "Alone + Easy Target" and it's four. And we still haven't even gotten to my favorite track, "Oh, George". It's apparently an homage to George Harrison, because he plays a solo in that guitar style. Even the cover of the album is perfect. Sadly, I've only seen them live once after they became a bloated arena act. It was a drunken sausage fest, and they played a ten minute version of "Monkey Wrench", and NOTHING from this album. WTF Grohl. 

8. The Flaming Lips - Clouds Taste Metallic ( 4.5 Stars )

     This is the second, and final, album with my favorite lineup of The Flaming Lips; Wayne Coyne, Ronald Jones on guitar, Michael Ivins on bass, and Steven Drozd on drums. While Clouds is just a notch below their other album, Transmissions From the Satellite Heart, it's still spectacular. The opener, "Abandoned Hospital Ship", is a Top 5 Lips track for me and features a blistering solo by Ronald Jones. Steven Drozd's bombastic drumming is all over Clouds. Even on toned down songs like "Placebo Headwound". Every track on Clouds is great, except for one turd in the punchbowl, "Brainville". The other highlight is "Lightning Strikes the Postman". It's a beautiful, fuzzed out mess with the closing line, "And it's hard to read the writing through the flames". "When You Smile" and "Kim's Watermelon Gun" ain't bad either. 

7. Guided by Voices - Alien Lanes ( 4.5 Stars )

     "The club is open". You're probably tired of me going on about these guys, but I can't help it. Alien Lanes is a treasure trove of lo-fi nuggets. "Game of Pricks" was my entry point to GbV. There are so many classics; "Watch Me Jumpstart", "My Valuable Hunting Knife", "Motor Away", "The Closer You Are", "Blimps Go 90", "My Son Cool", "Striped White Jets" and that's just the Robert Pollard tunes. There are also the Tobin Sprout gems "A Good Flying Bird" and "Little Whirl". I had to give it 4.5 Stars because it's just a notch below Bee Thousand and Under the Bushes, Under the Stars, which are both 5 Stars. 

6. Goo Goo Dolls - A Boy Named Goo ( 5 Stars )

     Don't laugh at me. The Goo Goo Dolls run of A Boy Named Goo, Dizzy Up the Girl, and Gutterflower is flawless. Except, I'm not a fan of "Iris". Every song on A Boy Named Goo is a dinger, with the possible exception of "Slave Girl". I even love the Robby Takac songs. This album contains their breakthrough hits, "Naked" and "Name". They are clearly the highlights of the album, "Name" being my favorite. The lyrics really hit. "All the dreams you never thought you'd lose got tossed along the way". Peace.

1995 Deep Dive: Part Three

      Albums 11-15 feature a couple more under the radar selections, then it's all heavy hitters and Sound Mind favorites the rest of the way. For the record, my Mt. Rushmore didn't change much. 

15. Bailter Space - Wammo ( 4.5 Stars )

     Wammo was released on both Flying Nun and Matador. I first discovered these guys from a Matador comp that featured the song "Splat". This track not only got me hooked on Bailter Space, but also sent me down the Flying Nun rabbit hole. Wammo leads off with the fuzzed out jangle of "Untied" and the aforementioned "Splat". "Colours" locks in on an exquisite, psychedelic grove and rides it out. The guitar and drum interplay on "Retro" predates "There, There" by Radiohead. Bottom line, this is a Top 5 guitar album of all time. Honestly, it should be higher, but 1995 is loaded. 

14. Pavement - Wowee Zowee ( 4.5 Stars )

     Hey look, another Matador record. I published an entire series of posts on Pavement's albums, so I've talked about Wowee Zowee before. I still maintain my assessment that this album is an exercise in co-opting, and improving upon the sounds of other bands. The opening track, "We Dance" out-Bowies David Bowie. However, there are tracks like the fantastic "Rattled By the Rush" that are quintessential Pavement. The highlight, for me, is "Kennel District". I didn't go back and look at my old post on Wowee Zowee, but if you're interested it's in here somewhere. 

13. The Boo Radleys - Wake Up! ( 4.5 Stars )

     This is a tremendous album by a band that is virtually unknown in the States. The single, "Wake Up Boo!", is an up-tempo, sunshine pop, Northern Soul extravaganza. They have a fun video for the track "It's Lulu" where Lulu is "reading books from school" and it's a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, from which the band's name is derived. If you love great vocals, guitars, and horns this album is right in your wheelhouse. 

12. Wilco - A.M. ( 4.5 Stars )

     Wilco's debut album, A.M., is the favorite Wilco album of Uncle Tupelo fans and the least favorite of Wilco fans. So, it's my favorite. That's not to say it's Uncle Tupelo 2.0, but it retains some of that musical DNA. "Box Full of Letters" is a perfect pop composition. I also like to imagine it would be Franz Kafka's favorite song. "I just can't find the time to write my mind the way I want it to read". "Passenger Side" is a poignant, yet hilarious track about a guy whose license is suspended and has to bum rides off the only sober person he knows. A.M. has the perfect amount of Jeff Tweedy looking back... and looking forward to make this a great record. 

11. Blur - The Great Escape ( 4.5 Stars )

     I've mentioned this before, but The Kinks, XTC, and Blur are the preeminent bands at writing songs that capture every day British life. At least that's my perception from America. It seems to ring true. Love it or hate it, Blur have a unique, art school style of song construction. Damon Albarn has a keen eye and a singular talk-singing approach. The Great Escape isn't as immediate as Parklife or 1997's self-titled album, but it rewards repeat listens. There's a lot to take in at one go. At the time, going up against What's the Story by Oasis, The Great Escape was probably quite a challenge for the record buying public. And Graham Coxon is a sneaky great guitarist. Peace. 

     

   

 

1995 Deep Dive: Part Two

      This group of albums from 16 to 20 are all under the radar picks that I had forgotten about until doing this dive. Now they are back on my radar and I love them. 

20. Chavez - Gone Glimmering ( 4.5 Stars )

     Back in 2006, I was obsessed with the Matador records label; mostly due to Guided by Voices and Pavement. At that point, I bought the Chavez compilation, Better Days Will Haunt You, which was on Matador. It contained their albums Gone Glimmering and Ride the Fader, as well as B-sides and other odds and ends. They were kind of GbV adjacent. Their sound was lo-fi, but with walls of guitar. At some point, I got rid of it because I rarely listened to it. Now I could kick myself, because Gone Glimmering is tremendous. The tracks "Laugh Track" and "Pentagram Ring" are stellar. Once I'm done with this dive I'm going to stream that compilation and look into tracking it down again. This is why I don't like purging my collection. 

19. Dead Hot Workshop - 1001 ( 4.5 Stars )

     These guys came out of the same scene in Tuscon, Arizona as The Refreshments and Gin Blossoms. There is considerable crossover between the sound of Dead Hot Workshop and The Refreshments. In fact, Dead Hot Workshop is name-checked in a Refreshments song. 1001 is a solid set of swaggering Southwest Americana. The standout tracks are "River Otis" and "Burger Christ". I'm not sure why Dead Hot Workshop never broke through like those other bands, but it could be argued they were the best of them. 

18. Superchunk - Here's Where the Strings Come In ( 4.5 Stars )

     This is probably the best Superchunk album. It features the classic lineup of Mac McCaughan on vocals and guitar, Laura Ballance on bass, Jim Wilbur on guitar, and drummer to the stars Jon Wurster. Unfortunately, Mac and Laura are better known for starting the Merge record label than being in Superchunk. This album is a perfect merging of their early punkier sound and the more polished indie rock they would soon explore. The highlight is "Detroit has a Skyline". Who knew?

17. The Presidents of the United States of America ( 4.5 Stars )

     I wish I could've ranked this album higher because it is so fun. Right from the opening track, "Kitty", you know you're in for a bonkers experience. Of course everyone of a certain age knows "Lump" and "Peaches". Those videos were in constant rotation in 1995. "Lump lingered last in line for brains and the one she got was sorta rotten and insane". One of my favorite tracks is the prophetic and self-deprecating "We're Not Gonna Make It". And their cover of "Kick Out the Jams" is phenomenal. They done kicked 'em out!

16. Swervedriver - Ejector Seat Reservation ( 4.5 Stars )

     Swervedriver are similar to Stone Temple Pilots in the sense they were both lumped into music scenes they weren't actually part of; shoegaze and grunge respectively. They are both just great rock bands. The key to Swervrdriver's sound is the two guitar attack of singer Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge. This album is a solid follow-up to 1993's brilliant Mezcal Head; with tracks like "The Other Jesus", "Son of Jaguar E", and "Last Day on Earth". It's also a testament to 1995 that this is only my 6th favorite Britpop album of the year. Crazy, but true. Peace.

1995 Deep Dive: Part One

      1995 may not be the deepest year for great albums, but it's possibly my favorite year at the top. I have 36 albums rated at 4 Stars or higher. So, I had to leave 11 out of my Top 25. I had 14 records vying for the last three spots. The final cuts were Green Day, Archers of Loaf, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Silverchair, Elastica, Tricky, The Verve, Matthew Sweet, Yo La Tengo, Hum, and Morrissey. My song list is currently sitting at 80. I might attempt to get it down to 25 for a list, but that seems to be a daunting task. My 21-25 is a disparate set of artists. The bottom three were the only first-time-listens of this dive to make the list. 

25. Natalie Merchant - Tigerlily ( 4 Stars )

     I've loved Natalie Merchant's voice since the first time I heard "Like The Weather" by 10,000 Maniacs. Admittedly, I don't own any of her solo albums and had never listened to Tigerlily in its entirety. Bad call on my part because this is a perfect Sunday morning chill record. The singles, "Wonder", Carnival", and "Jealousy" are all stunning pieces of songcraft. The album cuts are wonderful and vibe-y, as well. In the past, when I would reflect on my favorite singers, Natalie Merchant never came to mind. Visiting this album for the first time has changed that calculus. She's a treasure. 

24. Supergrass - I Should Coco ( 4 Stars )

     You would think with my love of 90's Britpop that I would have listened to Supergrass before this dive. Turns out, I had heard the track, "Alright", and never knew it was them. I would say it's an outlier on this album, but no two songs are really the same. It's a diverse, high quality release. My favorite pocket is in the middle of the album, "Alright", "Lose It", and "Lenny". "Lenny" features some intricate, rhythm section gymnastics. Easily, the best track on the album. I think what put me off Supergrass back in the day was the horrible album cover for I Should Coco. But, Gaz Coombes seems like a fun front-man. I will probably check out more of their albums. 

23. Primus - Tales From the Punchbowl ( 4 Stars )

     Obviously, I was familiar with the notorious track, "Winona's Big Brown Beaver", before this dive. However, I had never listened to any other Primus, despite Geddy Lee being a huge fan and friend of bassist Les Claypool. It's a bold move to open an album with a bonkers, seven minute song called, "Professor Nutter's House of Treats", but it's delightful, yet technically complex. Primus are a prime candidate for a deep dive. I'm not sure why I've never gotten around to them. It seems like they'd be right in the wheelhouse of a music nerd. The only things keeping Tales From the Punchbowl from being a 5 Star album are 1) it's unrelentingly goofy, 2) it's too one note, and 3) it's quite noodle-y in spots. That said, it's a fun listen and the musicianship is off the charts. 

22. Buffalo Tom - Sleepy Eyed ( 4.5 Stars )

     Bill Janovitz of Buffalo Tom is a huge fan of the Rolling Stones. He has written two books on the band; "Rocks Off" and a 33 1/3 book about Exile on Main Street. I met him at the Rock Hal when he did a presentation on the Stones and he signed my copies of those books. I also told him that Sleepy Eyed was one of my favorite albums and he seemed a little surprised for some reason. Probably because he was talking to fans of The Stones, and not Buffalo Tom. Anyhow, Sleepy Eyed is my favorite Buffalo Tom album and "When You Discover" is my favorite track. The opening line is fantastic, "Come back when you're done looking down on everyone. Ain't it hard when you discover that you're dumb". What I like, on Sleepy Eyed, is that the songs are tighter and punchier than on their previous albums. The songwriting is the focus, rather than the distortion. Other highlights include, "Tangerine", "Summer", "Clobbered", and "Sundress". 

21. The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness ( 4.5 Stars )

     Speaking of Exile on Main Street, this would be a 5 Star album if it wasn't a bloated double album. Having said that, it's still great. It's just not Siamese Dream. I love the tracks, "Zero", "Bullet With Butterfly Wings", and "Muzzle". And while I appreciate "Tonight, Tonight" and "1979", I've heard them WAY too many times. The classic lineup of The Smashing Pumpkins was an amazing collection of musicians and it's a shame they couldn't co-exist in a band. Despite all the crap he gets, I think Billy Corgan is a gifted songwriter and guitarist. There's a lot to love on Mellon Collie, it's just too much. It's a testament to the strength of 1995 that this is only my 21st favorite album of the year. Peace.